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Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller said he would resign the day after Poland joins the European Union on May 1, caving in to pressure from rebels in his own party.
The premier has met with the president immediately after arriving from the EU Brussels summit to discuss the political crisis in Poland.
Miler said his decision followed an acrimonious split in the ruling post communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) in the face of crumbling popular support for the government.
“Some of the SLD deputies and senators have decided to leave the party and create their own movement. This creates a new situation , leading the government especially in times of trouble and hard decision making requires full support from the political groupings which have taken responsibility for the government.If my departure is to serve Poland and Poland's left, my choice is to resign from leading the government," Miller said at a joint news conference with President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Under Leszek Miller’s rule the SLD saw its support melt to less than 10% this month from the 42% it gained in the 2001 general elections
President Kwasniewski, , said he would seek to nominate a replacement for Miller by Monday after meeting SLD leaders and other groups in parliament.
"Poland needs stability and predictability. I hope the change of government will be well planned and smooth, not threatening the interests of the state. As head of state I will contradict any personal experiments in the fields of foreign and defence policy, considering the important changes Poland is about to enter as part of the EU and this country’s involvement Iraq.”said the head of state